iMAC OS 9.2.1 refuses to start up

[CREATEAFAX]

Hello, my name is Dave and home bound with a serious problem. I have one of the first iMac's
that I beefed up years ago 64 megs ram and 20 gig HD. This is where I have most of my
work and can't afford to lose years of effort. I'm drafting this memo on my Ibook, so i'm
not completly dead in the water.

Please e-mail me at: CREATEAFAX@AOL.COM with any suggestions.

Anyhow, can anyone out there help me get this thing up and running again.
This is what I have tryed so far, now i'm stuck! I'm sure other people have had this problem.

If anyone knows the DOS commands to restore this to normal, it will be greatly appreciated.
Thank You, Dave H.

Step 1
Start up computer while holding down the space bar
Error msg = device3 failed to respond

Step 2
Start up computer with 9.1 os cd disk while holding down the "C" key

Error msg = device3 failed to respond
Apple iMac Open Firmware 3.0.f2 built on 04/23/99 at 14:31:03
Copyright 1994-1999 Apple Computer, Inc.
All rights Reserved.

Step 3
Start up computer with 9.2.1 os cd disk while holding down the "C" key

It opened
EMPTYED TRASH 17 MB
Running Disk First AID (VERIFY & REPAIR)
Problem: MountCheck found serious errors.
Problem: Volume Header needs minor repair, 1, 0

Clicked on repair button
Msg: reparing the disk
The volume "Macintosh HD" was repaired successfully.

Shut down normally and waited 1 min. to restart without cd inserted.
Normal startup but got
Error msg = device3 failed to respond

Step 4
Start up computer with 9.2.1 os cd disk while holding down the "C" key

It opened
Running Disk First AID (VERIFY & REPAIR)
Problem: Volume Bit Map needs minor repair, 4, 305

Clicked on repair button
Msg: reparing the disk
The volume "Macintosh HD" was repaired successfully.

Step 5

Running Disk First AID (VERIFY & REPAIR) again
Problem: MountCheck found serious errors.
Problem: Volume Header needs minor repair, 1, 0

Clicked on repair button
Msg: reparing the disk
The volume "Macintosh HD" was repaired successfully.

Shut down normally and waited 1 min. to restart without cd inserted.
Normal startup but got
Error msg = device3 failed to respond

Step 6

Start up computer with 9.2.1 os cd disk while holding down the "C" key

It opened so I did a Test Disk, when it finished
the msg was everthing was "OK"

Then I did a Clean Install of 9.2.1
Msg: installtion was successful
Tryed to start normally, now all I get
everytime is:

Error msg = device3 failed to respond
DEFAULT CATCH1, code=300 at %SRR0: ff80b4f0 %SRR1: 0000b30

Apple iMac Open Firmware 3.0.f2 built on 04/23/99 at 14:31:03
Copyright 1994-1999 Apple Computer, Inc.
All rights Reserved.
ok
0 > <-------dos prompt

[nixgeek]

Since it's not the stock hard drive that came with the iMac, have you checked to make sure that the jumpers on the HD are set to Master? If not, you might have to set it to that since Cable Select has been known to cause problems on Macs according to some other threads on this forum on similar subjects.

The other thing you might want ot try on that prompt (which isn't a DOS prompt btw, it's the Open Firmware command line) is to type the following:

1. Type "reset-nvram" and hit Return (exclude the quotes).
2. Type "reset-all" and hit Return (exclude the quotes).

This should reset the PRAM battery that's holding the low-level information on the system devices.

Report back with your results.

Good luck.

[SatCure]

Just for completeness I would replace the internal battery since these can fail after as little as a year and cause startup problems. Failing the above suggestions, I would replace the Hard Drive, format and reinstall, and place the existing HD in an external Firewire case to recover any data that you forgot to back up.

[nixgeek]

Originally Posted by SatCure

Just for completeness I would replace the internal battery since these can fail after as little as a year and cause startup problems. Failing the above suggestions, I would replace the Hard Drive, format and reinstall, and place the existing HD in an external Firewire case to recover any data that you forgot to back up.

The internal battery takes some years to actually go bad and on some Macs a bad PRAM battery will prevent the Mac from turning on at all. Symptoms of a failed PRAM battery are a reset of the time once the machine is completely powered down for a long period of time (even after you've reconfigured the time and date correctly). If this is happening, then yes, replace the battery. If not, then there's no need to do that just yet (although it will come up soon).

For the record, I have a Motorola StarMax 4000 PowerPC Mac clone from 1997 and just now the battery has given out, so they can last a good while.

Also remembver taht this hard drive is relatively new (20 GB as opposed to the 4 or 6 GB hard drive that originally shipped with this iMac). I'm guessing that it might be a jumper setting as the Macs tend to be finicky about it.